Despite having rejected several offers to act in the past, Jayam Raja has taken the plunge with Enna Satham Intha Neram. Touted to be India’s first film shot with four female quadruplets, it was this cute foursome with their winsome, childlike ways, that managed to make Raja change his mind. He says, “It was never my plan to take up acting. Ravi is the actor in our family. But when I heard the story and learnt about the quadruplets being in it, I changed my mind. The concept of the story was very new. The thought of working with these four kids, lured me into acting!”
Raja plays a well-known businessman. So what gave Guru Prakash the idea of approaching him for this role? “I thought Raja being a young dad himself, and a known face, was the ideal choice. The parents in the film are a celebrity couple. Manu is a known heroine from her earlier films,” he says.
It’s one decision that seems to have changed Raja’s life. He says, “I’ve learnt so much about life in the seven days of shoot that I did. My attitude towards my actors has changed after I faced the camera. When I returned to my film’s shoot after ESIN and turned director again, I decided not to trouble my actors unnecessarily. I finally realised the pressure an actor goes through!”
He lauds the efforts of the kids and gives credit to their parents. “The family was averse to their children acting in the beginning. But the director managed to convince them about the project. Once they agreed, they were thorough professionals. We had to only tell one child what to do, and she would instruct her sisters. It was a pleasure working with them.”